Brighton & Hove Albion striker Ini Umotong was left with a sense of frustration despite getting on the scoresheet in the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Women’s Super League.
Umotong acknowledged the difficult task the team faced, coming up against an Arsenal team top of the league with a perfect record, but insisted the team could be proud of their performance.
She said, “We knew it was going to be a challenge. Arsenal are top of the league, unbeaten and they’re flying.
“We had a game plan and I think we stuck to it quite well, but I think we gifted them a couple of goals, which was frustrating, but we held our own against a good side though, and I’m really proud of the girls.”
Umotong’s goal was her first in the league this season, and the Nigerian international spoke about what was going through her mind when running through on goal.
“I think my key attributes are that I’m strong, powerful and quick. So I enjoy it when balls are played over the top of the defence.
“I’m always saying to the girls, ‘put me in a race with them and I’ll fancy my odds one v one or two v one’.
“All that was going through my mind was to hit the back of the net. I was watching the goalkeeper to see where she was edging towards but in the back of my head, I was thinking that this has to be a goal.
“I haven’t scored as many as I’d have like to this season, so I’m really happy to have scored in this game.”
The striker them looked ahead to next weekend’s match against fellow FA Women’s Super League newcomers West Ham United, and hopes the team can put into practice the lessons they learned from the Arsenal match.
“It’s a big game for us and we're going into that match wanting to get all three points. I think this performance will give us a big boost because we had the league leaders on the back foot, so it’s very exciting going into the match and there are a lot of positives for us to take.
“For Brighton, it’s the first season in this league so we’re still learning and improving and most of the team have never played at this level before.
“We’re frustrating teams so hopefully now we can get the results and make a name for ourselves in this league.”
Tickets are on sale for Albion’s next FA Women’s Super League match against West Ham United on Sunday, 2nd December at the Broadfield Stadium, kick-off 2pm. Buy yours in advance online at BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com/tickets. Prices start from £7 for adults and £3 for under-10s.